


Spend It With You

by egonspenglersnose



Category: Ghostbusters (1984-1989; 2020), Ghostbusters - All Media Types
Genre: Developing Relationship, Discussion of family tragedy, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Egon/Janine, Pre-Relationship, holiday fluff, smut in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-07
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27924973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/egonspenglersnose/pseuds/egonspenglersnose
Summary: The holidays are tough for Ray Stantz. His siblings are distant, and it hasn’t improved since their parents passed. This year, you might just be able to help him feel festive again.
Relationships: Ray Stantz/Original Character(s), Ray Stantz/Original Female Character(s), Ray Stantz/Reader, Ray Stantz/You
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	1. Thanksgiving

Spending Thanksgiving in the city hadn’t exactly been the plan, really. It just sort of happened. The firehouse was quiet when he woke up, which was a bit unsettling since Ray was so used to the common everyday noise. 

Ever since his parents had passed, it had been somewhat like this around the holidays. His siblings didn’t exactly get along (nor were they very comfortable with Dr. Venkman or the concept of parapsychology), so they had all fallen into a rather comfortable silence among themselves after the funeral. 

Rather than laying in bed and thinking about it, Ray figured he would get up and go out for a walk. Or maybe call up a friend. Was anyone still in town TO call?

Looking in the bathroom mirror, he glanced around at the telltale signs that Venkman and Spengler had been there; Egon’s spare glasses on top of the counter, Peter’s uniform half hanging out of the hamper he had set up (despite hardly using it). He hoped their day was going well, and that Peter wasn’t freaking out Dana’s family too early on. Egon was meeting Janine’s extended family for the first time today too, and he was sure that would be an interesting sight. 

“Poor Spengs,” he laughed, shaking his head and imagining Egon trying to socialize. Ray was sure he’d hear all about it from Janine when they came back. 

After a quick shower and a glance through his contacts, he remembered something you had mentioned last week when you had stopped by the firehouse about staying in the city for the holiday. Would you be interested in spending time with him? It was worth a shot, he supposed. 

Meanwhile, across town, you had just gotten up to start the day at your own place. A long phone call with your folks back home had really been the start, but you hadn’t left your bed for that. Family was a complex subject, one that you often didn’t get too deep into. You could have gone home, sure, but you didn’t think you could’ve handled that this year. 

You yourself had just finished washing your face and hair when your phone rang again, and you turned your speakers down to hear it better as you picked up your living room phone. 

“Hello?” You ran a towel through your damp hair, plopping down on your couch. 

Ray was surprised that you had picked up so quickly, and felt a flash of embarrassment before clearing his throat. 

“Uh, hey! Happy Thanksgiving,” he started, and you smiled. You knew that voice anywhere. 

“Same to you! What’s up?” You curled your legs underneath yourself, softening up at the sound of Ray’s voice. You had been friends for a long time, and had a crush on him for nearly just as long. Although, that part of your feelings was far less pronounced. 

“Nothing, um...I wasn’t doing anything today, and I remembered you saying you were staying in the city, and I wondered if you would want to get together? Er— I mean...“ he trailed off, and you couldn’t help smiling. 

“That sounds great. Should I come to you?” 

“Sure! I mean, Uh...if you’re up for it, I am,” he nodded despite the fact that he knew you couldn’t see him, his spiky hair still slightly damp. Neither one of you had prepared to cook, but thankfully your mutually favorite Chinese place was open today, so that seemed like the best option. 

You made a plan to grab some food and head over to the firehouse, eager to see the sweet Ghostbuster again. 

***

You two had met a long time ago, back when Ray, Venkman and Spengler were still working at Columbia. Spengler was the first one you had met; your first impression of him had been that he was strange, albeit very polite, but you had gotten a better picture of who he was when he had asked you if you’d seen a banshee in the library one week. You worked there, so you supposed it made sense despite how odd it was. 

After he had asked you if you would volunteer for some sort of experiment involving a brain scan and hypnosis, and Venkman had tried to hit on you in the process of Egon asking, Ray had come to apologize. Egon wasn’t exactly the people person of the team (and Peter tended to forget manners altogether), so Ray would often have to handle that part. 

The minute you had met him, you knew he was something special. Very handsome, incredibly cute, and wicked smart. To say you had had a crush on him for a good few years was an understatement. It was obvious to everyone, especially Janine and Winston, that you two had underlying feelings that you never addressed. 

Thank god he was too oblivious to catch when Janine teased him about it, you had thought. The one thing that always caught your attention in regards to him was that he always seemed to be alone. 

Not that he was ever left out, per se, but on days like the holidays, you never heard him talk about going anywhere. Even Winston had talked to you about it once before, concerned for his friend and even going the extra mile to invite him to come and meet his mother and father one weekend during the previous Christmas season. 

Ray’s politeness often got the better of him, however, so he often opted to be alone. Maybe, just maybe, you could help him change that. You could worry about feelings if it ever came to that. For now, you were simply spending an afternoon with someone you liked and cared about, and you wanted to leave it at that.

***

The food was warm in your lap as your cab stopped outside the firehouse. Paying the driver, you grabbed the to-go bag and got out, eagerly heading up to the door. Ray had left it open, which you had expected, and you headed inside. 

It was weird seeing the place so dark and quiet; Janine’s empty desk sat in the very front, and you couldn’t help smiling at the picture of her and Egon that she kept beside the phone.

It was a rare instance of seeing the serious scientist smile; they were at Coney Island, standing beside the Ferris wheel. Egon towered over her, and she couldn’t have smiled any wider as she held his hand. He was still wearing suit pants despite the photo having been taken in summer, a white shirt rolled up to the elbows as Janine stood next to him in a pair of shorts and a patterned blouse. They were cute together, and you couldn’t help but laugh at how long it had taken for Egon to wake up and smell the roses in regards to Janine. 

Snapping back to reality, you headed upstairs to where you figured Ray was, seeing the light coming from beneath the door of where the guys usually hung out. Giving a knock, Ray answered in record time, his eyes bright as he ushered you in. 

“Hey! I’m glad you came!” He said. His smile really was infectious, and you happily leaned into the hug he gave you. 

“Me too! I wasn’t up to anything today. I’m glad you called,” you admitted, seeing that he had cleared the space of all equipment. Aside from the monitors along the wall, the space almost seemed homey. 

The room itself was fairly spacious; with the coffee machine in the corner and a few arcade games here and there, it could’ve easily doubled as an apartment space. The door to the bedroom was open slightly; Ray’s bed was the only one made. You guessed it was his, at least, since Peter and Egon probably wouldn’t have bothered to make theirs. 

In a way, it was incredibly sweet that he had cared enough to clean up so thoroughly just for you to bring over some Chinese takeout, but it was incredibly fitting to the type of person Ray was. 

Chinese food for thanksgiving may not have been typical, but it was unique to the two of you, and neither one of you had a complaint. 

“Are you up for the Charlie Brown thanksgiving special?” He asked, going to turn on the nearby television for you both. 

“I love that one! It’s either that or MTV,” you chuckled, getting out the food and beginning to divide it between the two of you. The both of you decided to forego the card table in favor of the nearby sofa, talking over childhood memories as the program played on TV. 

“We used to watch this one back home, my siblings and I,” Ray said. “My brother would always fight with me over who would get the wishbone from the Turkey. Mom would have to separate us.” 

You knew about his past somewhat, and about the fact that he and his siblings didn’t talk much anymore, but you didn’t know the full story. Putting your chopsticks back into the container you were eating from, you turned to face him a bit more. 

“Has it been a while since you’ve seen them? If it’s too personal, you don’t have to tell me, of course,” you said, and he gave a slight shrug. 

“I don’t mind. Me and Carl don’t speak much anymore, no. Jean calls me sometimes, but she and Carl don’t really talk. Ever since our parents passed, it just hasn’t been the same.”

They had gone missing in a plane somewhere over the Bermuda Triangle, you remembered him telling you. It was unimaginable to you, that kind of grief combined with never knowing what had happened to them. But maybe it was best not to linger on it, you thought, attempting to put him at ease again. 

“My family is kind of complicated too. I mean, I didn’t really go back this year just because I didn’t think I could handle it. They didn’t exactly want me moving to the city, so far from home.”

He quietly appreciated you averting the conversation towards yourself, leaning over to turn the light on as it began to get dark. 

“What does Spengler have going over there?” You asked after a beat, noticing some strange equipment that you knew had to be Egon’s. 

“That? Oh! He’s improving the brain wave monitoring he does when we interview people about their paranormal experiences. He found this new headpiece that’s apparently supposed to be way more receptive due to the metal alloys inside.”

“That’s really cool! Has he improved his approach to asking people about it at all?”

“The honest answer? No, I still handle that part.” He laughed heartily from within his chest, and you easily could’ve melted on the spot. He reminded you a great deal of a golden retriever at times.

There was another beat between you both before Ray spoke again, remembering what you had said about moving to the city before. 

“Hey, if it’s any consolation, I’m glad you moved to the city,” Ray said, in that incredibly sweet way of his, and you couldn’t help smiling. Janine would’ve given you all sorts of hell about it had she been here, you knew. 

“Huh? Oh, me too. It means I get to spend thanksgiving with a ghostbuster. My friends will be so jealous!” A laugh escaped you as you said this, and it even got a smile and a laugh from Ray. 

“Why would they be jealous?”

“I mean, you ARE on TV!” Both of you were laughing now, leaning into each other and feeling full and content. You were friends, so it didn’t have to mean anything. At least, that’s what you told yourself. 

You spent a long time not saying much, and it wasn’t until a few minutes later that both of you accepted the fact that you were sleepy from eating so much good food. You didn’t mind, really. Besides, a little nap couldn’t hurt. Closing your eyes, you allowed yourself to doze off, with Ray following close behind not too long after. 

Of course, only a fool would believe that this would only turn into a short nap, and before long, you were both out cold. 

It was quite the surprise, however, to Venkman and Janine. They returned the next morning to find the two of you laying back into the couch, with Ray’s head resting comfortably on your chest. 

Oh boy, you were in for it when you woke up. Janine already had her mind made up, you were never living this one down.


	2. December Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, they’re closer but not quite there yet. Feelings are complicated. December is a weird, lonely month.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“Well well, Ray finally landed her, did he?”

The television was still on when Janine entered the room, having reported for work that Friday morning. She carefully walked over to turn it off, her pretty face accented by the morning light. Egon stood in the doorway, but Peter strolled right in, a smarmy look on his face as he caught sight of you two snuggled up together on the couch. 

“I dunno, should we disturb them? I mean, they look kinda cute together,” Janine said, more sympathetic to your position than Peter, who wanted to have some fun with this. Without answering, he came and hovered directly over the two of you from behind the couch, taking a deep breath before speaking. 

“Hey lovebirds, wake up call’s here!” He practically shouted, earning a glare from Janine and a jolt from the two of you. Once Ray realized where he was, he bolted up to fix his hair, and you rubbed your eyes as you took in the situation at hand. “What exactly went down here last night, huh?”

“Don't get any ideas, Venkman. We just fell asleep,” Ray immediately defended the two of you, looking at you almost apologetically. Poor guy, he could be so shy sometimes. 

“Ray’s right. We got sleepy. If I hear about you teasing him, your ass is mine, Venkman,” you raised an eyebrow, earning an eye roll from Peter. 

“You wish,” he retorted, and you stuck your tongue out at him. You liked each other, honestly, but he made it difficult sometimes. Egon had awkwardly shuffled away from the scene long ago, leaving Janine behind to get a pot of coffee started and help you clean up. 

“Don't listen to him,” she said, ushering Venkman out of the room before continuing to talk. She was better at reading Ray’s shyness than Peter was. “But really, did anything happen? Because if it did, I hope you—“

“No! No, nothing happened, okay? We were both alone on thanksgiving and decided to hang out, that’s all. Why is everyone so concerned?” You responded, the actual idea of anything having happened with Ray causing your cheeks to flush bright red. 

“I believe you, trust me! Venkman’s an ass, that’s all.” She reassured, coming over to pat Ray on the shoulder. “I’ll have your assignment sheet ready in a bit.” 

As she left, he immediately became apologetic, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Jeez, I’m sorry about all of this. If I had known, I would’ve never—“

“Ray,” you stopped him, your tone gentle. “It’s alright. Really. Besides, we had a good time, didn’t we?” 

He nodded, seemingly calmer now that he knew you actually hadn’t minded any of it after all. Mostly, he hadn’t intended to lay directly on top of you, but you weren’t about to admit how much you had enjoyed it. 

“Let me at least walk you down to the door. That’s the gentlemanly thing to do, right?”

“Definitely. Always knew you were one,” you grabbed your purse and gave one of his hands a squeeze, heading downstairs and hugging him at the door as you hailed a cab. “Let me know if Peter gives you anymore crap about this morning, okay? I’ll get on his case so you don’t have to.”

“I appreciate it, I really do,” he laughed, and you said your final goodbyes before you were off. 

He entered the firehouse again and was immediately confronted by a stern but calm Janine, who crossed her arms and ushered him over to her desk. 

“Ray, when are you gonna tell that girl that you like her?”

He stopped in his tracks, surprised that she had even been able to tell. 

“Was it obvious?” He asked, just as Winston walked in. 

“Was what obvious?” He inquired. Janine was kind enough to spare that morning’s details, knowing Peter would give him the rundown later. 

“That Ray’s absolutely smitten with our friend down at the public library, that’s what,” she said, and Winston acted like it was common knowledge. 

“I thought we all knew that. Does she not know that?” He asked, to which Ray shook his head in response. “Damn, man. All these years and you still haven’t told her?”

“Wait, all of you knew?”

“Ray, man, you wear your heart on your sleeve. It’s not a bad thing, but we can all tell that she makes you happy,” Winston said, and Peter took that as his cue to enter and tell their fellow ghostbuster what had occurred that morning. 

“Look, don’t listen to him, alright? You tell her when you’re ready,” Janine gave him some advice from a more feminine point of view. “Besides, I have a feeling she likes you just as much.”

“Really?”

She wanted to be upset at how oblivious he was, but held back, instead deciding to nod and continue speaking. 

“Really,” she said, turning when she heard Egon interject. 

“Judging based on body language alone, I’d say your chances with her are statistically very high, Ray. But I doubt she’ll make the first move.”

By the look on his face, Janine could tell that Ray was overwhelmed with all of this new information and shooed everyone away for now. 

“Look, you can consider all this later. We’ve got plenty to do today, and I’m sure you need some time to think. Get some coffee in you, you’re gonna need it for today,” she could be like a protective sister at times, which Ray appreciated. 

“Okay. Thanks Janine,” Ray said, earning a pat on the back from the shorter woman. 

“Sheesh,” she shook her head once he was gone, hoping the poor guy could get a clue sooner rather than later. 

***

A few days passed, with one visit between you occurring in the midst of them. You stopped by the firehouse on your lunch hour to bring them all food, and Ray was hardly able to meet your eyes. 

It began to worry you. Why was he still so worried? Was he really that shy? Or was it something else? You kept your cool and tried to ignore it for now, carrying on a pleasant conversation with all of them for the time being. 

It wasn’t until that night that you would actually talk again. Ray’s dreams always got worse during this time of year, and tonight was one of those nights. The Christmas season was the hardest out of all of them, and now that December was here, it was in full swing. 

His dream tonight was disjointed and strange, a mixture of memories of his parents and the memory of finding out they were gone. It was hard to remember upon waking and looking back, and all he could gather were glances of their faces and some odd, underlying sense of dread that crept up on him. 

He was sweating, he couldn’t breathe, and then—

Ray jolted awake with a gasp, his forehead damp and his hands clammy. Venkman was fast asleep, as was Egon, and Winston was with some friends tonight. At least he hadn’t made anyone else stir, he thought with a soft sigh of relief. 

Getting up to go to the bathroom, he washed his face at the sink. His heart rate was high, and he tried his best to take deep breaths and calm down. Could he talk to someone? No, the guys were all asleep, and Ray wasn’t necessarily the journaling type...then he got an idea. 

No way, you were probably asleep, he thought to himself. Then again, it was only 12:30, and maybe you wouldn’t mind…

He figured it was worth a shot, carefully closing the door to their sleeping space behind him as he went out to sit on the sofa near the monitors and the TV. With hands that were still a bit shaky, he called you up, listening to the phone ringing and hoping to god he wasn’t disturbing you. 

Luckily for Ray, you were just heading to bed, having flicked off your light only seconds before the phone beside your bed began to ring. Raising a curious eyebrow, you picked it up and answered with a soft voice. 

“Hello?”

“Hey, Uh...it’s me. Did I wake you up?”

Well, this was new. He had never called you so late at night before. For a moment you worried that this might have something to do with some sort of weird slime related experiment, but you still gave Ray a chance. 

“No, not at all. What’s going on?”

“I, uh...I had a pretty bad dream. I just needed to talk to someone, I guess.”

You couldn’t help feeling that soft spot inside for him as he said this, wishing he was here so you could comfort him somehow. He sounded so distraught, which was very abnormal for him. It caused you to sit up against your pillows a bit more, twirling the phone cord around your finger. . 

“Well, I’ve got all night. Go for it.”

“Just...it was a bad dream about my family,” he scratched his chest absentmindedly, having gone to sleep in just a pair of pajama pants. It got surprisingly warm in this part of the firehouse, and he had been soaked in sweat earlier anyways, so maybe it was a good thing. “My parents, mostly… I miss them.”

“Is that what had you acting so strangely this week?”

“Well, yeah...that and plenty of other things, I guess.”

“Oh Ray, I’ve been worried about you. I hope Peter hasn’t been teasing you too much.”

“No way, Janine is keeping him in check there,” he said, his heart fluttering a bit at your concern. Ohhh shit, he was in deep. Janine was absolutely right. 

God, how had he been such an idiot for the last few days? Of course you didn’t mind what had happened, why had he worried? You were here, sweet and supportive as always. You had given him a chance to open up, and Ray knew that it was wise to take it. 

He remembered just before his parents had gone missing, how they had left Ray the house. They had seen that he would probably need all the help he could get, particularly after they had met Peter for the first time and gotten a glimpse as to what Ray was getting into in New York, and the irony of it all was terribly grim looking back on it. 

Now, as you listened with rapt attention, he told you about the day two cops had shown up at his apartment door to tell him they had gone missing; and about how he had had to bury two empty caskets after enough time had passed. Ray hadn’t been able to bring himself to cry. Not then. He felt that he had to be strong for everyone else. His aunt cried, his cousins, Carl and Jean, but for the first time all he could feel was numbness. 

Your heart broke for him. Really, truly broke for him. There was a pause, and a bit of silence as you laid against your pillow, holding the receiver up to your other ear. 

“Ray…” you said after a beat, “I am so, so sorry. I don’t know what else to say, really.”

“That’s okay. To tell you the truth, I’ve never admitted any of that to anyone before.” He was proud of himself, in a way. Ray supposed it took courage to admit all of that, especially after it had been weighing on his heart for so long. 

You supposed it made sense that someone so sweet might be hiding a deeper hurt that you didn’t know about. Running a hand through his hair, Ray took another deep breath. It occurred to him then that he should tell you how much he appreciated you more often. His uniform was laid out on a chair next to the bathroom, a habit he had picked up from having to be able to run out on a bust at a moment’s notice. 

Another beat of silence passed between you, until you finally spoke again and wondered what he looked like sitting next to the window in the moonlight. Snap out of it, you told yourself. 

“Let’s get some lunch this week, or...or maybe you could come to my place and catch a movie on TV with me,” you said, “I hear there’s gonna be a Twilight Zone Marathon on this Friday night. That’s way more fun than going Christmas shopping like I was going to do.”

“No kidding,” he smiled to himself, the sound of your voice calming him down immensely. He realized he was reclined back against the couch now instead of sitting forward tensely like before, and it made him fiddle with his pant leg. 

“I need to get you out of that firehouse more often. Just don’t bring any ghosts with you and it’ll be a good time,” you giggled. 

“If you know me, you know I can’t always promise that,” he said, and you both shared a soft and happy laugh. “Friday night it is.”

“Great! Hey, get some sleep, alright?” 

Again, your concern touched him on a profound level, and he held the phone gingerly to his ear. 

“I will. Thanks again.”

“I’m always just a call away. You know that,” maybe you were letting too much be revealed, but you didn’t care. Thankfully, it didn’t go much farther than that as you said a final Goodnight. 

Had you just planned a date for Friday? Unofficially, yes. Officially? You had absolutely no clue. You just wanted to be near Ray again, and didn’t see the harm in that. Besides, if anything developed, you truly were not going to complain. 

***

This began what was a long string of spending weeknights together. Especially Friday nights. On many occasions, you had helped him wash slime or ectoplasm out of his hair (and found that Dawn dish soap did the trick best of all), and ironically enough the whole thing had become somewhat similar to the Egon and Janine situation. 

It was hard enough knowing that everyone else in your circle knew (even friends who didn’t know Ray could tell that you had him on your mind), but the added looks from the others every time you stopped by the firehouse definitely didn’t help. Hell, even your boss at the library said something looked different about you! 

It wasn’t until Friday night the week before Christmas when the tension really hit a boiling point between you two. 

“You know, Janine keeps asking me what I do over here all the time,” he said, seemingly out of the blue as you two caught an old Clark Gable movie on TV. His uniform was discarded on a chair in favor of the street clothes that Ray had worn underneath. 

“Why does she want to know?” You chuckled, suddenly conscious of how close you were sitting to Ray on your couch and feeling a bit nervous. 

“I guess they can’t let thanksgiving go,” he said, both of you uttering a laugh that was breathy and hesitant. Then one of you looked at the other, and all of a sudden you couldn’t look away. 

What were you supposed to do? Make a move? Address everything all at once? Could either of you even bring yourselves to do that? He glanced at your lips, and oh god, your heart skipped a beat—

“Well, they...I guess they’ll move on eventually,” you blushed profusely, looking down at your lap and away from Ray. He worried then that maybe he had made you uncomfortable, and you sensed it, looking up and attempting to speak at the same time he did. 

“Ray-“

“I-“

It was clear that neither one of you knew what to say. How exactly are you supposed to admit things like this, anyway? His eyes were hopeful, as if he was wishing for you to say something in particular but also terrified of the possibility, and in the darkness of the room you both couldn’t meet each other’s eyes anymore. 

Jesus, you were a grown woman and still acting like this? What was with you tonight? The only thing that broke you out of your train of thought was the realization of how close Ray’s hand was on the cushion next to yours, and as you both kept your eyes glued to the screen, you decided to be a bit daring. 

Inching over, you carefully sat closer, deciding to say screw it and hold his hand. This was SO high school, you thought. 

But just as you criticized yourself for being cheesy or cliche, you felt him begin to respond. Ray was into this! Both of your brains were on high alert, but you chose to say nothing more for now. 

Was everything still in some weird sort of middle ground? Sure. But then again, Ray was almost never a conventional type of person, so did it matter? 

His hand was so much bigger, nearly swallowing your own up entirely, and you were sure that you almost melted on site. Surprisingly, Ray’s hands weren’t rough like you had expected. In fact, quite the opposite.

Neither of you spoke for a long time after that. Resting your head on his shoulder, both of you settled into the silence, hearts beating rapidly with neither of you willing to address it just yet. But boy oh boy, was this holiday season far from through with you yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed chapter 2! If you’re enjoying it thus far, I appreciate it so much! This felt long to type, I’m not sure if it ended up actually being as long as I thought it was. Needless to say, lots of fun christmassy stuff to come and of course, feelings, which are always fun. Stay tuned!


	3. Merriment and Misfit Toys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas Eve doesn’t go exactly as planned. Feelings come out in the open. Nothing ever seems to go right for these guys, but what else is to be expected? 
> 
> Smut ahead. Be warned!

Christmas Eve was quickly approaching, and ever since that Friday when you’d held Ray’s hand you had been trying like mad to figure out how to word what you were going to say in order to tell him how you really felt. 

While she loved you both, Janine felt like she was trying to pull teeth in order to get you two to admit that you were essentially going on dates as it was. Even if they only consisted of him coming to your apartment, they still counted, and she wasn’t about to let you live that down. 

When the day arrived, you had planned to head over to the firehouse for the night and celebrate with the whole crew. It sounded like it was going to be a great time; pizza, beer, exchanging presents, you couldn’t wait. You all didn’t get much of a chance to just hang out very often, and even if you were still figuring out your feelings, you weren’t passing up this opportunity. 

As soon as you got off of work at the library, you had headed home to change, leaving your apartment building once darkness had fallen. You didn’t exactly love that it got dark at 4:30 in the afternoon now, but at least all the shop windows and Christmas lights looked pretty. 

You made your way to a nearby convenience store, window shopping as you went. The way Ray’s face had lit up at the prospect of spending the night with his friends repeated in your mind, and you couldn’t help wondering if Peter had given him some sort of ribbing about it that week. If he had, you knew Janine would put a stop to it. You and Ray had put your heads together to get her some great Hanukkah gifts as a thank you, and she had loved them dearly, much to your happiness. 

A little bell rang over your head as you entered the shop, humming along to the Hall and Oates song playing over the speakers. 

Did you grab wine? Beer? Champagne? Would anybody even care as long as there was alcohol there? You decided to grab some of the cheap kind of champagne that you knew Peter liked, laughing at the memory of him chugging some last New Year’s Eve before proceeding to make Dana giggle with some sort of dirty joke. 

Paying the cashier for the champagne and some beers, you headed out of the store with a hopeful smile on your face. Maybe tonight, you could just tell him. Come right out and say it. He had to know, didn’t he? Ray couldn’t be THAT oblivious. 

It wasn’t until you registered a shriek from behind you and the sound of running feet as you tried to hail a cab that you snapped back into reality. 

At first, you saw nothing. What was the crowd running from? The streets were full and fairly well lit in this part of town, and it was cold enough that you could see the breath of those running by you. You almost HAD to move forward, you didn’t have a choice with how many people were running past. 

Then, all of a sudden, an inhuman shriek sounded, and some sort of skeleton faced ghoul was flying through the air at top speed. It glowed an almost bluish white, and your stomach dropped at the sight. 

“Oh SHIT,” you muttered, still trying not to trip over your own feet as you actually began to run. The guys must have known about this by now, right? All of a sudden you couldn’t move, trapped against a phone booth with a thud as a swarm of people ran by. You held your purse and the alcohol against yourself, being pushed back against the glass again and again every time you tried to move. 

It nearly swept a young child up in its grip before his mother yanked him away, holding him to her chest as she ran. Someone knocked the paper bag loose from one of your hands, but you caught it, frozen in fear at the sight of an actual ghost right there in front of you. What the fuck were you gonna do? Your brain was in panic mode, your heart racing inside your chest. 

Where were they? Did they know? Oh god, it was coming closer and you needed to run soon or—

A man tucked and rolled, some taxis swerved in the streets to dodge the specter, and it seemed completely hell bent on causing destruction. 

The Ecto’s siren sounded then from somewhere far away, and you soon got a break in the stream of people in order to run. And run like hell you did, especially since that ungodly thing was headed in your direction. 

“LOOK OUT!” Someone was shouting, you didn’t look to see who they were shouting at. No way in hell were you stopping. You only realized what was going on when you felt something icy cold grab around your ankle, yanking you up into the air and whisking you away. A loud scream escaped you as you lost your footing entirely, flailing helplessly as a stranger attempted to reach for your hand and pull you down to no avail. 

There they were, a blur of the guys, and Egon’s terrified face; none of them wanted anyone to get hurt, but especially not you. 

“Oh shit, is that-?” Winston asked the others; one more glimpse at you and a cry for help in your voice confirmed their worst fears. Ray’s heart sank, his senses on high alert. “It is, guys! Come on!”

“Guys! I can’t—HELP!” You were being flung around almost maddeningly, trying to protect your head. 

“Heat ‘em up!” You heard Venkman yell, another scream escaping you as the specter swooped lower and nearly caused your head to collide with a car windshield. You heard the champagne bottle shatter as the paper bag (which you had somehow managed to hold onto) flew into the street somewhere. 

“We can’t blast it while it’s got her!” Ray protested, much to his own chagrin. You grabbed onto a lamp post for dear life, calling out for them and thanking god you weren’t too far away. 

“Egon! Ray! Go help her!” Peter motioned them forward, hoping that they could get to you in time to pull you down while you still had your grip. You pulled back against the grasp of the cackling specter as hard as you could, until all of a sudden it let go of you in favor of another unfortunate target who had come out onto the street at the wrong time. You screamed again as it dropped you, doing your best to protect your neck before you hit the ground with a hard thud. 

Proton beams blasted out over your head after that; Egon shouted something you couldn’t quite make out, and all of the air had pretty much been knocked out of you. You had landed on your side, not too hard but hard enough to cause you to groan as you rolled over onto your back on the hard pavement. 

“Holy shit! Are you okay?” Venkman called out. He was the first to reach you, but Ray practically beelined in your direction, beating the others there by just a few seconds. 

His big, warm eyes were full of worry now, and he was speaking a mile a minute.

“Are you alright? What did you fall on? Oh my god, someone get an ambulance!” 

Once you had finally caught your breath, you gave a slight cough, waving your hand at all of them.

“I’ll be fine, I just—“ you attempted to sit up, only to feel a pain in your side that caused you to let out a long groan and lay right back down. 

“Did you hit your head?” Winston asked as he knelt beside you, and you coughed out a no. A crowd had gathered now that Egon had trapped the ghost; a little Asian woman was offering you her coat to put under your head, which you politely declined. A woman you recognized from the Deli downtown was saying something about ‘spirits, never know what you’re gonna get, that’s why I told my husband not to haunt me’, and the commotion began to make your head spin. 

An ambulance arrived soon after, getting you on a stretcher and making sure you were stable. Ray and Winston decided to ride with you, and you couldn’t help wanting to calm their nerves. Especially Ray’s; the poor guy looked even more upset than you did. 

“Good thing the champagne was cheap. Damn thing made me break the bottle,” you managed a smile, which both of the men beside you gladly returned. You attempted to laugh, only to be welcomed by the pain in your side again, and Ray put a hand on your arm. 

“Take it easy, okay? We don’t know how badly you’re hurt,” he was so sweet. God, you would have kissed him right there if you could sit up. 

“I will, I promise,” you nodded, your eyes visibly soft in their expression. 

Winston gave you a look that you shrugged off for now; the last of your momentary concerns was feelings. 

Riding in an ambulance was strange; it was white and sterile just like the hospital was, but you could also feel the speed as you rushed through the streets. Your temperature and pulse were taken, and the EMT told you that you seemed to be normal aside from the possible injuries from the fall. 

The siren was slightly muffled, but right over your head. You knew Janine would be worried sick since that was the type of person she was. In a way, it was all pretty hard to fathom, but you were glad that it hadn’t mamed you any worse than this. Why did this sort of thing always happen to these guys and whoever they associated with? 

At least it wasn’t Dana again this time, you reasoned. She had had enough of that to last her a lifetime. 

As you arrived to the hospital, the EMT in the back with you had to ask the all important question as she motioned to Ray. 

“Is this your boyfriend? If he is, he can come into the exam room with you.”

He turned beet red, but you didn’t miss a beat. You didn’t want to be in there all alone, and besides, this could all be handled later. 

“Yes. And he’s just as good as family,” you motioned to Winston, and the EMT seemed to understand, directing them to where they needed to go before wheeling you off to be examined. Ultimately, Ray decided to wait with Winston, and you went your separate ways for the moment. 

***

Ray was a mess in the waiting room, even though the doctor had told them you were only going to be a bit bruised and it was nothing serious. Egon, Peter, Dana and Janine all arrived not too long after, and Janine was the first to hurry up to you and give you a gentle hug once you were checked out and released. 

“Oh honey, are you alright? Any scratches or scrapes?”

“No, I’m okay. Really! Just bruised. No internal bleeding, but he said I’ll feel the impact tomorrow,” you said, and she gave you a gentle squeeze from your non-bruised side. 

“Was this the one you guys had been chasing for a few days?” Dana asked, hugging you right after Janine did and earning a smile from you. She really was so sweet. 

“Yeah! Sneaky little shit. But it won’t be causing anyone trouble anymore,” Ray said, having immediately hopped up from his chair as he saw you come out before. He tried to play it cool that he was glad you were alright, but you could read him like a book.

“I’ve never seen you run that fast, Ray,” Winston joked, and you went over to stand next to the man in question as soon as you sensed his worry. You laughed and hung onto Ray’s arm as he said this, silently very grateful that they had been there when they were. He took the opportunity since you had been limping before, mostly just wanting reassurance for himself that you were alright. 

“Fear can send the senses into overdrive. Mothers have been known to lift whole cars when they fear for the life of their child,” Egon interjected, and you couldn’t help feeling a sense of comfort at hearing one of his strange observations again. There was some light banter about what should be done now, and eventually it was decided that you should probably just head home. 

“What a shitty way to spend Christmas Eve, huh?” You chuckled, earning a careful pat on the shoulder from Peter. He wasn’t normally an affectionate guy, so you knew this was a really genuine gesture from him. He could be sweet when he wanted to be. 

“No kidding. Try not to run into anymore ghosts on the way home, alright? We already took the equipment back to the firehouse,” there was the usual Peter. You rolled your eyes and nodded, sharing a grateful smile between yourself and all four of them. 

Ray couldn’t help feeling like he shouldn’t leave you by yourself, but was initially too shy to say anything until Winston elbowed him as you said your goodbyes and headed towards the front desk. 

“What are you doing just staring at her? Go to her! You and I both know she doesn’t want to be alone,” he muttered. 

“I can’t—“

“Raymond,” Peter butted in, knowing you were phoning for a cab. “If you let this chance pass you by I’m never letting you live it down. You wanted to spend time with her and she doesn’t want to be alone. Get over there!”

Even Egon and Janine were eyeing him, with Dana giving a sweet and supportive nod, and he knew they were all completely right. 

Coming over to you as you waited by the doors, Ray smiled that sweet smile of his and you felt yourself nearly melt at the sight. 

“Would you want me to head back with you? I know paranormal encounters can leave people a little shaken up sometimes.”

“That would be great, actually. Otherwise I might be looking over my shoulder all night,” you nodded and gave a smile. The pain in your side had dulled for now, but you knew it would return in the morning along with a nice new bruise. 

The ride back was fairly quiet, especially since you were so worn out from the eventful evening you’d had. You talked about some things pertaining to ghosts that caused the obviously tired cab driver to give you some strange glances in the rear view mirror, but eventually you made it back to your apartment building safe and sound. 

“Do you want to come in?” You asked as the two of you reached your door, and you saw Ray’s eyes flicker with a few emotions that you couldn’t quite make out. 

“Sure,” he said, figuring you didn’t want to be alone for obvious reasons despite your seemingly cool facade. Thank god you had showered before going out, you thought. That wouldn’t be a problem you’d have to face with a guest around. 

“Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back out,” you walked toward your room, the limp on your right side a bit more noticeable now. 

“Do you need help with anything?” He immediately became concerned again, and you shook your head. Ray really was so sweet. You knew he wouldn’t stop worrying about you for a while. 

“I’ll be okay, I’m just going to put on some cozier clothes. I won’t be really sore until tomorrow,” you gave a light chuckle, closing the door behind you as you went in to change into a T-shirt and some pajama pants. They were ugly plaid ones you’d picked up at a secondhand shop somewhere, but they were your favorites and you figured you deserved to be comfortable after the night you had had. 

At the same time, you remembered that a pizza place down the street was still open, calling to place an order. If there was one thing that was for certain, it was that nothing could scare you out of having an appetite. 

Since he knew the apartment well, Ray had taken the liberty of going ahead and putting on the tea kettle. He approached the couch with two mugs in hand not long after that, and you cozied up to him right away. You didn’t even care at this point; someone was going to have to break the ice soon enough. 

“Thanks for coming back with me. And for the tea. It’s a shame we couldn’t do what we had planned for tonight,” you said, leaning into his warm, soft body. Ray was in just his street clothes now; a sweater and a pair of jeans. It was a Christmas sweater, you realized. He had probably meant to wear it tonight. 

“Hey, it was no problem. I was scared to death when I saw you up there,” he admitted, before remembering that he had brought with him and reaching over into his coat pocket. You took a drink of your tea before seeing what he had gotten out. “Here. I made sure to grab this before we left.”

It was a small present, wrapped in red paper with a green bow. He had remembered! 

Unwrapping it, your eyes lit up at what was inside. It was a rare edition of one of your favorite novels, one you had thought was entirely out of print since the new edits they had made. 

“Oh my god! You found it! How?”

“I have some connections,” he was visibly overjoyed to have gotten you something you liked, and you couldn’t resist giving his hand a squeeze before realizing his gift was still in your purse. 

“Wait right here!” You managed to get up on your own, figuring the limp would be worse the next day and laughing at yourself a bit. You returned not long after that with his own present, which also happened to be a book. 

Seeing the way he lit up as he opened it was everything. It was some sort of manual on mysticism that he had been looking for for ages and you knew he had wanted terribly, and when you had come across it in October you hadn’t hesitated to snatch it up for him. 

It was called ‘Mysticism & You; How The Zodiac Effects Paranormal Turbulence’, and it was such a fitting book for him that you knew he had to have it. 

“Wow! Where on earth did you get this one? It’s been out of print for ten years!”

“You know that weird old psychic that has a shop down by the dry cleaners on 14th? I went to see her for a palm reading around Halloween with a friend of mine just for the hell of it and she had one!”

He was so overjoyed that he hugged you, before pulling back and retracting his arms almost out of fear. 

“Oh! Did I hurt you at all?”

“No,” you shook your head and smiled, “I’m not hurting right now. They gave me Tylenol and I’m on top of the world.”

“Well, I’m still paying for the pizza. You’ve dealt with enough for tonight,” he insisted, and you didn’t protest, reaching over to turn on the television to your yearly viewing of It’s A Wonderful Life with a happy laugh. 

“Alright, alright, I won’t protest, Doctor Stantz.” You leaned into him again, quite honestly worn out. Ray couldn’t blame you, putting a protective arm over your shoulder as you both sipped at your mugs of tea. 

The night was just what you needed, minus the alcohol; you ate and laughed, bantering about how funny Jimmy Stewart’s voice was and ending up with you listening to Ray talk about what kind of ghost they had encountered earlier. 

“I think it was a class 5. Free roaming too! It’s been messing with people all over the city entirely at random. I just hate that it had to come down to it attacking you like that,” he said, remembering the way he had felt seeing you in its clutches. He never would’ve been able to stand losing another person he cared about, especially during this time of year. 

“Hey, don’t beat yourself up over it attacking me just because you didn’t catch it sooner. This wasn’t your fault,” you said, realizing why he might have been feeling this way and lifting your head to look at him. “I don’t want you feeling some sort of secondhand guilt about this. You caught it, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, I just—“

“Then that’s all there is to it. I’m here with you now, and I’m all in one piece.” There was that nagging voice that sounded an awful lot like Janine again, telling you that you should just get over it and tell him how you felt. Maybe now was better than never...

Ray must have been thinking the same thing, because both of you attempted to speak at the same time, ending up in a fit of shy giggles. 

“Listen, I...I feel like there’s something I should say, and if I don’t I’m gonna feel like a huge idiot,” he began. 

“Yeah?” This had to be it. It just HAD to be. 

You supposed it was, because judging by the look in his eyes, he wanted to kiss you just as badly as you wanted to kiss him. Maybe talking was overrated. 

“Would I...uh, be overstepping a boundary if I asked to kiss you?” He said, his normally steady hands seemingly shaky in his lap. Everything was dark in the room except for the TV and your little Charlie Brown Christmas tree all lit up in the corner, but you could still make out his adorable hazel-green eyes.

“Not at all,” you said, and for some odd reason all you felt was calm. Of course, you were over the moon, but something about being this close to Ray calmed you down. 

The next thing you knew, his hands were coming up to gently cup your face and bring you closer, and you were sure that you visibly swooned just before Ray finally kissed you. 

He was a good kisser, way better than you had expected. Not that you had necessarily thought he would be bad, but goodness, this was something else entirely. Your own hands came up to rest on his forearms; something resembling a sigh escaped you as a fingertip barely brushed over your neck. 

Ray’s lips were soft, and you wondered if he used lip balm for a second. It would make sense, since he was so practical. This kiss was nothing too intense, sure, but it blew you away regardless. Even as he pulled away, your eyes stayed closed for a moment. 

You were positive you looked just like a cartoon character with birds chirping all around your head, your cheeks a bright shade of red. And before he could say anything, you hugged Ray tightly, not giving him the opportunity to shy away this time. 

“Do you have any idea how long I’ve wanted to kiss you? Because it’s been a long time.” 

“I’m sorry I’ve taken so long to say anything, I just...I’m not great with words, I guess,” he said, and all you could do was look at him and smile. He was so precious, which was a descriptor some might find odd for a man, but it just fit Ray to a tee. 

“I don’t care, all I care about is that now it’s out in the open.” You couldn’t resist kissing him again, and again, until you were sure neither of you wanted to even speak anymore. God, you just wanted to kiss every part of his sweet, lovely face, moving into his lap without hesitation. 

The kisses eventually went from eager and light to something a bit heavier, his hands nervously making their way to your hips. 

Pulling away, both Ray’s and your eyes were glassy, and your lips kiss swollen. Was this spur of the moment? Did it matter when you were both adults who were incredibly physically attracted to one another? Everyone around you figured it was time for you to get a room, and there HAD to be some truth in that. 

“Do you want to…?” He trailed off, and a huge smile crossed your face. 

“Ray, I’m in your lap and your hands are basically up my shirt. Do you need any more of an answer than that?” Neither of you would normally be this eager, but here you were, making out on your couch, and it was heavenly. He didn’t need anymore encouragement, that was for sure. 

Eventually, you were straddling his lap completely, any pain or injury entirely forgotten thanks to sheer adrenaline. It wasn’t until Ray lifted you by your hips to take you to bed that you spoke again, hanging onto his broad shoulders in surprise. 

“Holy shit, you can do that?” You asked in reference to him full on picking you up. 

“Yeah, why?” He asked, and you figured it made sense since he carried a heavy proton pack all day. In the end, you just laughed as he essentially held you up in the middle of your living room, shaking your head. 

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Now take me to bed, handsome,” you grinned, earning a smile from Ray in return as he successfully brought you to your room and laid you down carefully on your bed. 

The look in your eyes sent shivers up his spine; Ray leaned down to kiss you again, pressing you close while also being mindful of your side. He just wanted to love you until he absolutely couldn’t anymore, having been smitten with you since day one. 

“If I hurt you at all, just tell me, okay?” He was worried for good reason, and as much as you didn’t want to think about it, you knew you needed to be careful. 

“I will,” you nodded, running your hand along his clean shaven cheek. Both of you were nervous, it was clear, but the kind of nervous that was blended right in with excitement. 

He was the first to make another move, deciding to leave a trail of kisses along your neck. After the way he has seen you react to an accidental touch there before, he wanted to see if that spot proved to be a regular erogenous zone. 

And boy oh boy, was it ever. Ray seemed a bit hesitant to leave any hickeys just yet, but that was fine. Even just having him like this was perfect. You moved your hands down to pull his sweater out of the top of his pants, and he happily assisted you in getting it off. 

His body was soft and firm in all of the right places with a nice dusting of hair, and you couldn’t help admiring him; you knew from past conversations that Ray had been a bit insecure about his looks, but judging by the look in your eyes right now, he knew exactly how much you admired him. 

Next up was your shirt; Ray sat back on his heels between your legs now, heart racing as he waited for your okay. 

“Go ahead,” you nodded, glad that there was no bra to hassle with. The shirt slid off and over your head with ease, goosebumps rising on your skin as the cool air hit it. 

You could see Ray swallow slightly as he eyed your half-exposed body, leaning back down to kiss your lips again. The way it felt to be pressed chest to chest with him was almost unreal, your hands trailing down the smooth skin of his back. Good lord, the man even FELT good. 

The skin to skin contact worked to get you both hot and bothered almost right away; Ray’s pants had become noticeably tighter, and every time he pressed up against you you could feel the effect you were having on him, so to speak. 

From his point of view, he was in sheer heaven. It had been so long since he had been with anyone, let alone someone he felt so strongly for, and his brain almost couldn’t process all of the good stimuli running through it. 

“Mm, take these off, please…” you murmured after a beat. Moving Ray’s hands down to your hips, he eagerly complied, first sliding off the pants as you undid his belt. Next came your panties, and once he had you entirely naked, a groan escaped him almost involuntarily. 

“Christ, do you have any idea how gorgeous you are?” He said, nearly panting as you reached out with a smile to help him finally lose his own underwear that he was pitching quite the tent in. 

“I could say the same for you, you know…” you ran your hands over his chest and shoulders, blushing hard and feeling yourself get wetter by the second. His hands were on your waist, rubbing comfortingly while simultaneously turning you on even more. 

Once you were both naked, all you could do was stare for a moment. This was everything you had wanted for so long, and here it was right in front of you. You opened your arms and beckoned him back down to you, to which he gladly obliged. His gentle touch nearly made you shiver, but you couldn’t help wanting more as he kissed his way across your neck and breasts. 

“You can...you can leave marks if you want,” you said, your voice breathy and light as you felt his hardness press against your thigh with no clothing in the way. Heat radiated off of it, and you almost melted. 

Ray didn’t hesitate now, doing exactly as you had said and leaving a fine bunch of love bites all along your soft skin; long moans escaped you as you felt the gentle suction and pulling of the skin as well as a nipple. He whispered something about liking hickeys as well in your ear, and you took the hint, making sure to leave a few good ones in the collarbone era. Lucky for him, it was turtleneck season. 

Before things went too much further, you rummaged around in your bedside drawer for a condom, feeling incredibly glad when you found one; it was always good to be prepared, you told yourself. 

For now though, Ray wanted to try something else, his hand venturing lower and stopping just above the dark pubic hair between your legs. 

“Can I touch you?” The question nearly drove you mad with want; you were wet enough by now for pretty much anything, eagerly spreading your legs for the dark haired man above you with a nod. 

One of his thick, long fingers slid between your folds now as he laid beside you, your lips connecting again. Finding the clit, he began to rub in slow, smooth movements, watching you almost in fascination as you lifted your hips to meet his movements. 

“Oh god, that’s it...right there…” you panted in approval, eyeing his length and getting an idea that would suit you both just fine. “Can I?”

Once he realized what you meant, he nodded, and you began to mutually pleasure one another in a steady rhythm. This had to be one of the hottest things you had ever done with someone, and it had all occurred so naturally. 

Ray’s voice was deep and husky as he spoke again, his hot breath on your ear. “Could I try something?” 

“Uh huh…” you nodded, appreciating the way he would ask before each new movement. Adjusting his hand a bit, he gently slid his middle and ring fingers inside of you, continuing to rub the clit with the heel of his palm. If you hadn’t already been turned on before, you most definitely were now, falling back onto the bed in a mess of moans and sighs and unable to focus on anything else. 

Ray didn’t even care that you had stopped touching him; his eyes were glued to you and the way your face contorted in pleasure. His nails were short and blunt, and his fingers seemed like they were made for this as they pumped in and out of you. He supposed being a scientist made him more observant of what you liked or didn’t like, as Ray was able to gauge how fast and deep to go with his fingering. 

His rhythm was gentle but firm, never too fast, and had you keening for more as you began to teeter towards orgasm. 

“Ray, baby, you’ve gotta stop or this will—Ohh god...this will be over too soon,” you gently urged him, knowing you were on the brink and not wanting this to end too soon. Ray silently felt proud of himself that he was able to do that, gently pulling his fingers out of you as he reached over to find the condom. 

“Ready for me?” He asked, and you couldn’t resist giving a naughty grin as he moved between your legs again, rolling the condom onto himself. 

“If you don’t get down here soon I might go crazy,” a breathy laugh escaped you, and as you shared a mutual smile, both of you took in how big of a moment this was. 

“Would it sound silly to say I’m nervous?”

“No, I am too,” you admitted, running a hand through his soft hair. “But you have nothing to worry about with me.”

This caused him to smile and nose into your neck with a few more soft kisses, in a way that seemed far more playful and excited you quite a bit. Just for good measure, you fished some lubricant out of the drawer as well. 

It caused Ray to raise an eyebrow, but he ultimately understood when you explained that it was never a bad idea to make sure things were comfortable. Reaching down to stroke him for a moment, you slicked up his erection, eliciting a moan from him that you definitely wanted to hear more of. 

Ray was as gentle as could be as the two of you went for it, positioning himself at your vaginal opening before letting himself enter with one long, smooth slide. 

It caused you both to let out a groan, holding onto one another seemingly for leverage. Ray was still mindful of your side, of course, his thrusts careful as he made sure not to squeeze your waist too tightly. 

He was cursing and moaning your name in your ear, and it was the hottest thing you had ever heard in your life. Ray wasn’t normally much of a curser, and your higher pitched moans and gasps perfectly accentuated his deeper ones. 

“Just like that...god, yes…” you moaned, tangling a hand in his hair as he buried his head in your neck again. He wasn’t too big or too small by any means; Ray filled you up in an almost comfortable way, his thrusts speeding up as time went on. 

It was like a big, final release of all of those pent up feelings to finally be doing this, and you almost didn’t care about how this might make you even more sore in the morning; it felt damn good right now. 

By far, the best part was hearing him tell you how good you felt, paired with the way his hands were essentially all over you; squeezing your breast, gripping your hip, smoothing your hair away from your face. 

Soon enough, you knew you were nearing climax again, and Ray’s thrusts had sped up to a delightfully steady pace. 

Reaching down, you began to rub your clit in time with Ray’s thrusts, your breasts nearly crushed against him. It was almost serendipitous the way your orgasms arrived mere moments later; your thighs began to quiver, until finally you let out one last, long cry of his name. 

“Ray, oh god, YES!” 

The way you tightened around him was what finally did Ray in, thrusting in entirely to the hilt and finding his release in three jolting waves of pleasure as he filled the condom in the warm, wet clutch of your body. 

The two of you stayed like this for a while afterwards, panting hard and almost unable to move. Had that really just happened? It must have, you thought. Ray carefully pulled out of you and tied off the condom, cleaning himself up a bit with a nearby tissue before laying back down beside you. 

“So...how was that?”

You nearly burst out in a fit of giggles, immediately bringing him back into your arms and squeezing him close. You were a bit sweaty, but you didn’t care. 

“Fan-fucking-tastic. I take it you enjoyed yourself too?” You said, earning one of those prize winning smiles from him as he gently laid an arm across your body and kissed you on the cheek. 

“Absolutely. I can’t believe we waited so long. I guess Venkman can stop teasing me about finally making a move now, huh?”

“You just show him your neck if he tries to give you a hard time again,” you winked, seeing a visible blush spread across Ray’s face as he laughed heartily. 

“I forgot about those! I guess you’ll have more than one type of bruise tomorrow.”

“Eh, I’ll blame the big one on the ghost. All the rest are your fault.” Really, you felt good, giving Ray a grateful kiss as he located your pajamas and helped you get back into them. He got back into his boxers, snuggling right up to you beneath the covers as carefully as he could. 

It was a bit awkward, finding a position to lay in that didn’t press on the afflicted side, but you managed. Eventually, Ray settled on slinging an arm over your torso and resting his head on your chest. You were just about to fall asleep together when you looked up at your alarm clock, the letters illuminated in the dark. 

12:02 am. What a way to ring in Christmas. 

***

The next afternoon, everyone came over to your place, and you couldn’t help but compare yourselves to the Misfit Toys; none of you singularly belonged anywhere. But together? Together, you worked well. 

Despite your obvious limp, you were happy. And Ray? Beyond happy. Everyone traded gifts, and it was a breath of fresh air for him to finally get to sit right next to you without any hesitation, his arm around your shoulders. 

Janine was giving Peter a hard time about pouring alcohol into his eggnog and for teasing Ray, Dana was laughing at something Winston had said, and Egon was absolutely up to no good as he eyed one of your houseplants with a look you knew couldn’t mean anything ethical. And yet, somehow, Ray thought, it was all perfect. 

The look on Ray’s face said it all; he was surrounded by people who loved him, and who he loved, and you would’ve given anything to keep him this happy forever. 

“Having a good time?” You asked, keeping it under your breath so the others couldn’t hear. 

“Yeah. I really am,” he said, earning a kiss on the cheek from you. 

Janine called Egon back over from the plant just then, Peter mentioned something about a poison Ivy experiment from a few years back, and everyone collectively laughed. Egon and Janine looked almost as smitten as you two; even though she celebrated Hanukkah, everyone always still included her in Christmas, and she quietly loved you all for it in her own smarmy way. 

As the sun began to set, the atmosphere was happy and cozy, and Ray felt like he had all the family he needed right there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come, babes! Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Happy Holidays no matter what you celebrate. I know things are all different for us this year, so have some happy Ray on Christmas to bring you some cheer.


	4. New Year, New Hangover, New Outlook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short and to the point. Ray has plenty to look forward to, and gets to spend New Years with the people he loves.

It wasn’t until New Years Eve rolled around that you all got to properly celebrate together. In the week between Christmas and New Years, your side healed up enough that there was only a dull ache left behind. 

In that time, Ray hardly left your side. Apart from a few nights that required long, crazy hours for busts, he made his way to your place again more often than not. 

Was it the umpteenth time you helped him wash slime out of his hair in your kitchen sink that had solidified how head over heels you were for Ray? Or was it the way your bed didn’t feel so empty whenever he was there? Either way, you loved him and all of his sweet little quirks. 

He himself was surprised by how nice it was to have somebody making sure he ate actual meals, and got some sleep. Of course, Ray could care for himself, but it helped to have another voice of reason there. Always a sucker for people he cared for, he had fallen for you without a second thought. 

That was his one “flaw”, he supposed. He had a big heart and was often too trusting too soon. Luckily for him, you had his best interests in mind. 

Now, as Ray watched Peter drunkenly serenade Dana while Janine sat on Egon’s lap, listening to sweet nothings, he knew he had found his people. Winston was currently dancing with you to the song on the radio, making you laugh hard as he dipped you. 

Recognizing the laugh lines by your nose, Ray smiled, peeking up as you came back over to him. The firehouse was decked out in tinsel, most of the daily clutter cleared away so that everyone could hang out with pizzas and some alcohol. 

“Check out those two,” you whispered, watching as Egon drunkenly told Janine how pretty she was. She was all heart eyes, glaring at Venkman before he could give them some sort of smarmy remark. Normally, Egon never would’ve loosened up like this, but something about Janine just had that effect on him. They reallt were good for each other. 

“Spengs must have really had a lot to drink, he’s never like that,” Ray giggled, putting an arm around you and becoming surprisingly affectionate. You supposed everyone was under that same spell tonight. 

“Ooh! Come quick!” Peter stumbled over to the radio, hearing the countdown begin. Dick Clark’s voice rang out from the speakers, and finally it the New Year mark as Peter grabbed another beer can while also trying to avoid falling on his face. Dana propped him up to help with that, much to your amusement.

At first, Ray was laughing too hard to kiss you, but you didn’t mind. He was terribly cute, and several more giggles as well as resounding hiccups sounded before he finally turned to you and took you into his arms. 

“Happy New Year, hot stuff,” you said, meeting him in the middle for a kiss before Peter finally made his way over to you both. 

“It’s great, isn’t it?” He slurred, his breath reeking of alcohol as he gave you a giant, wet kiss on the cheek and Ray a Pat on the shoulder. “Feliz navidat—or, wait, that was last week…”

“Come on, you’ve hit the wall,” Dana chuckled, not as tipsy and able to get him off of you. 

A few more hours of drunken dancing ensued before the two of you made your way back to your place, fumbling out of your shoes before falling onto your bed in a giggly heap. Sex had been on the agenda at some point, but was forgotten as the two of you felt how comfy the mattress was and how tired you both really were. 

“You make me happy,” you mumbled, laying your head on Ray’s chest. Both of you had a warm feeling in the pit of your stomachs, probably thanks to the mixture of cheap champagne, pizza and beer you had ingested. Oh well, you could deal with that in the morning. Besides, you could still smell Ray’s cologne, and that drew you closer. 

“What did I do to deserve a girl as great as you, huh?” He was a bit more tipsy than you, both of you growing sleepy now. His large hands ran through your hair, and you nearly purred like a kitten. 

“Mm, shush. We’re drunk.” You hiccuped a bit, Ray’s eyes growing heavier now. Was it all terribly cheesy? Yes. Did either of you care? Absolutely not. 

“You’re pretty. Have I told you you’re pretty yet?”

“Dunno...maybe.”

“Well, you are,” he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, and you carefully moved a leg between both of his to make the position a little bit easier for you both. Even when sober, he loved when you laid on top of him; you were like a living weighted blanket. Only prettier, and with the same effect of ultimately knocking him out like a light. 

It wasn’t long before Ray began to lightly snore, and you found it oddly soothing. Looking up at him one last time with hazy eyes, he was quite the sight; out cold, snoring, messy haired, and all yours. Surely, you would dream about him, your brain told you as you closed your eyes. 

It wasn’t until you were helping to nurse each other’s hangovers the next morning that the words from the night before really sank in. You couldn’t help thinking about how much worse Peter’s hangover must have been for a moment, finding humor in the thought before leaning across the couch and into Ray’s warm, soft body. 

It might have seemed mundane to others, but between the Advil and cups of coffee, there was a sense of both of you being exactly where you belonged, and you wouldn’t have had it any other way. Part of you had a feeling that there was plenty to look forward to in the new year to come. 

As for Ray, that bitter sense of loneliness that had preceded the holidays was nothing but a distant memory now. Sure, things hadn’t been conventional, but were they ever conventional for him? Part of him would always miss what he had had before, but what he had with you? That made a world of difference. 

“Hey,” he said, his voice not much more than a whisper as the two of you laid in the room with the blinds shut. 

“Hm?” Lifting your head slightly, you didn’t open your eyes, but still made sure Ray knew you were listening. 

“You gonna stick around for Valentine’s Day? New Years and Christmas were fun.”

A smile graced your features then, and you couldn’t resist kissing his cheek. It was so like Ray to ask. 

“Mhm. Valentine’s, President’s Day, Arbor Day, you’re stuck with me. I’ll list more when my head stops pounding.”

“You act like being stuck with you is a bad thing,” he said, and neither of you could resist smiling as he gently pulled you close again. Maybe being “stuck” wasn’t such a bad thing, really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this! This last chapter was pretty short and I wasn’t too keen on it, but maybe you will be. Thank you for reading! Find me on tumblr @egon-spenglers-nose if you have fic requests or questions!

**Author's Note:**

> This will be one chapter of multiple, I hope you all enjoyed this and will stick around! Lots of good stuff to come! Ray has a lot of feelings but we love him for it. I feel like there’s never been a deeper exploration into those feelings for him, and I hope I do his character justice in this story.


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